Tripod base



Sept. 6, i966 A, MACHA ET AL TRIPOD BASE Filed Aug. 25. 1964 UmtedStates Patent O 3,270,994 TRIPOD BASE Antonin Mach and Ladislav Dubny,Prerov, Czechoslovakia, assignors to Meopta, nrodni podnik, Prerov,Czechoslovakia Filed Aug. 25, 1964, Ser. No. 391,908 Claims priority,application Czechoslovakia, Aug. 27, 1963, 4,767/63 Claims. (Cl.248-187) The invention refers to a tripod base for the accommodation ofa rod of a photographic camera or the like, said tripod base comprisingbase means or a bed, a clamp and means for eiecting a clamping force.The present tripod base is especially intended for cameras of theoptical bench type wherein the carrier of .the photosensitive materialand the lens carrier are fastened to independent holders slidable alonga guiding rod.

With the tripod bases known 'hitherto the clamp is made as a single-armlever-stirrup shaped according to the cross section of the guiding rodso' that the clamp may partly or over its whole'circumlference surroundthe guiding rod. As a means for effecting the clam-ping force a screw isusually used which is mounted in the forkV of the tilting clamp.

The referred yto known tripod bases are disadvantageous since asingle-arm lever clamp does not allow a simple and fast operation butintroduces addition-al subsidiary operations as e.g. tilting of theclamp under the bellows of the photographic camera and screwing of thescrew into the fork of the clamp.

These drawbacks are eliminated due to this invention.

Our tripod base comprises broadly base means which have an outwardlydisposed surface that is adapted to partly support, for instance, aguiding rod of a photographic camera, a two-armed lever pivoted on saidbase means, whereby Ione of the lever arms has a gripping surface tocooperate with the base means surface, operating means adapted to actupon the other of the lever arms to cause .the lever to swing betweentwo end positions, an abutment member on the operating means, adapted tobear against the base means and to position the swinging lever in one ofsaid end positions, and thus Ialso to position said first name lever armin a rod-gripping condition. The first named lever arm is referred to asa gripping arm while the second named lever arm is referred to as .anactuating arm. The gripping arm is in a grip-releasing Icondition whenthe lever is in the other of the two end positions. Our tripod basecomprises `further spring means which at one end is attached to the basemeans and vat the Iother end to the actuating arm to normally urged thegripping arm toward its grip-releasing position.

The accompanying drawing shows by way of example an embodiment of theinvention, wherein FIG. 1 is a section of the tripod base with theclamped guiding rod, taken in the plane of the line 1 1 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 2 is a section similar to that of FIG. 1 with the guiding rod inloosened position; and

FIG. 3 is an elevational View of the side wall of the tripod base.

According to FIG. 1 .the tripod base includes base means generallydesignated B and a clamp 4. The base means and clamp form a boxlikestructure which accommodates a guiding rod 1 of a photographic cameraand is provided with pads 25. The clamp 4 is made as a doublearm swinglever that is fastened to the base means B by means of a pin 21. One arm41 of the clamp 4 is adapted to clamp the guiding rod 1. The grippingface of the gripping arm 41 is preferably shaped according to the shapeof the guiding rod 1 whose cross section in the embodiment of theinvention is circular. The arm 41 is curved in such a way that it partlysurround the circumference of the guiding rod 1 and is also providedwith pad means 25. A nut 5 which receives a screw 3 that is providedwith a knob 31 is fastened to the second arm 42 of the clamp 4 by meansof pivot 9. There'is further a spring 7 whose one end 71 is fastened tothe clamp 4, its opposite end 72 being fastened to the base means B. Aswill be clear from FIG. 3 the wall 22 of the base means B is providedwith a slot 24 to accommodate the screw or bolt 3, and a hole 23 toaccommodate the bolt 3 together with an abutment member 6 thereon. Abase plate of the base means B is designated 22.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the base means B of the tripod baseaccommodates the guiding rod 1 clamped thereto by means of arm 41 ofclamp 4. The position of clamp 4 shown in FIG. l, i.e. when the guidingrod 1 is clamped in position, is secured by screw 3 which by turning ofknob 31 pushes the arm 42 of clamp 4 by means of the nut 5. When the arm41 of clamp 4 bears against the guiding rod 1 the screw 3 bears 4againstthe inner wall 22 by means of the abutment 6. Accordingly, clamping ofthe guiding rod 1 to the base means B of the tripod base is effected bythe pressure of arm 41 of clamp 4 on guiding rod 1.

Loosening -of the guiding rod 1 is effected in the following way: byscrewing screw 3 into nut 5 by means of knob 31 pressure of said screw 3on arm 42 by the nut 5 ceases and for this reason the pressure of thearm 41 of the clamp 4 on the guiding rod 1 is lalso released. Bycontinued screwing =of the screw 3 into the mrt 5 the abutment 6 ofscrew 3 will be moved away from the inner face of the wall 22 of thebase means B, and the screw 3 may be swung within the slot. Uponswinging the screw 3 into its upper position as shown in FIG. 2 thescrew 3 s pushed into the hole 23 by means of spring 7, and the abutment6 is pushed outwardly since the diameter of the abutment 6 is smallerthan that of hole 23. In this case clamp 4 occupies a position shown inFIG. 2, Le., when the guiding rod 1 may be removed from the base means Bof the tripod base.

The described way of clamping the guiding rod of a photographic cameraor the like is particularly advantageous since it provides for a simpleand fast operation merely by clamping or loosening the guiding rod onthe trip base.

The embodiment of the invention, as shown and described, does of coursenot limit the means for effecting the clamping force to a screw, but itis equally possible to operate arm 42 of the clamp 4 by means of anaccentric and the like.

It is an advantage of the invention that the clamp made as a double-armswing lever in photographic cameras using a guiding rod an easy andreliable manipulation by one hand possible, achieving a safe grip in asingle operation. Known tripod bases, on the other hand, required atleast two subsidiary operations including a cumbersome manipulationunder the bellows of the photographie camera.

What we claimed is:

1. A tripod base for a photographic camera and the like, comprising l(a) base means having an outwardly disposed surface adapted to partlysupport a guiding rod of a camera or the like,

(b) a two-'armed lever pivoted on said base means,

( 1) one of the arms of said lever having a gripping surface tocooperate with sai-d base means surface,

(c) operating means adapted to act upon the other of said lever arms tocause said lever to swing between two end positions,

(d) an abutment member on said operating means, adapted to bear againstsaid base means and to position said lever in one of said end positions,while positioning said first named or gripping arm in grippingcondition, said gripping arm being in a gripreleasing condition whensaid lever is in the other of said end positions, and

(e) spring means attached lto said base means and said other oractuating lever Iarm to normally urge said gripping arm toward thegrip-releasing position thereof.

2. In the base according to claim 1, said operating means including anut member pivotally secured .to said actuating arm, and a boltthreadedly received in said nut member and being adapted to cause, bymeans of said nut member, said swinging movement of the lever, saidabutment member being provided on said bolt.

3. In the base according to claim 2, said base means and said leverbeing formed as a boxlike structure, said actuating armV constituting aswinging Wall of said structure, said gripping arm forming an outwardlydirected extension, said nut member being disposed substantially withinsaid structure, said bolt having two ends, a portion at one of said boltends extending outwardly of said structure to render said bolt operablefrom the outside.

4. In the base accor-ding to claim 3, said boxlike structure including awall opposite said actuating ar-m, said op- 25 posite wall lbeingprovided with opening means, said abutment member bearing against theinner face of said opposite wall when said gripping arm is in itsgripping position, and being free to pass through said opening means inan outward direction when said gripping arm moves toward itsgrip-releasing position.

5. In the |base according to claim 4, said opening means being formed bya first and second opening, said second opening being shaped so as toallow said abutment member to pass therethrough, said lirst openingbeing formed as a slot radially opening into said second opening andbeing of a width that permits said bolt, ibut not said abutment member,to pass therethrough.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 623,606 4/ 1899Homan 24S-230 1,304,584 5/1919 McCraith 81-118 1,568,101 1/1926 Taylor248-230 2,735,519 2/1956 Frischman 24-249 FOREIGN PATENTS 497,844 12/1950 Belgium.

CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner.

JOHN PETO, Examiner. I. F. FOSS, Assistant Examiner.

1. A TRIPOD BASE FOR A PHOTOGRAPHIC CAMERA AND THE LIKE, COMPRISING (A)BASE MEANS HAVING AN OUTWARDLY DISPOSED SURFACE ADAPTED TO PARTLYSUPPORT A GUIDING ROD OF A CAMERA OR THE LIKE, (B) A TWO-ARMED LEVERPIVOTED ON SAID BASE MEANS, (1) ONE OF THE ARMS OF SAID LEVER HAVING AGRIPPING SURFACE TO COOPERATE WITH SAID BASE MEANS SURFACE, (C)OPERATING MEANS ADAPTED TO ACT UPON THE OTHER OF SAID LEVER ARMS TOCAUSE SAID LEVER TO SWING BETWEEN TWO END POSITIONS, (D) AN ABUTMENTMEMBER ON SAID OPERATING MEANS, ADAPTED TO BEAR AGAINST SAID BASE MEANSAND TO POSITION SAID LEVER IN ONE OF SAID END POSITIONS, WHILEPOSITIONING SAID FIRST NAMED OR GRIPPING ARM IN GRIPPING CONDITION, SAIDGRIPPING ARM BEING IN A GRIPRELEASING CONDITION WHEN SAID LEVER IS INTHE OTHER OF SAID END POSITIONS, AND (E) SPRING MEANS ATTACHED TO SAIDBASE MEANS AND SAID OTHER OR ACTUATING LEVER ARM TO NORMALLY URGE SAIDGRIPPING ARM TOWARD THE GRIP-RELEASING POSITION THEREOF.